Dark Blue Garlic (Allium cyaneum)
AL-lee-um cyaneum

Deciduous Perennial Clump-Forming in the Amaryllidaceae Family
A diminutive, true-blue-flowered onion from the alpine slopes of the Chinese Himalaya, ideal for a trough, crevice, or rock garden where its intense cobalt-blue flowers can be appreciated up close.
Allium cyaneum is native to alpine slopes and subalpine forest margins of the Chinese Himalaya, at elevations from about 2,100 to 5,000 meters. A true dwarf among ornamental onions, it forms tight clumps of narrow, grass-like foliage topped in mid-to-late summer by small, rounded clusters of intensely colored, powdery-blue to deep cobalt-blue flowers with notably long, exserted stamens. Its compact size, extreme cold hardiness, and vivid true-blue flower color, rare among alliums, have earned it the Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.

Pros

  • Rare true-blue flower color among ornamental onions
  • Compact and slow to spread, unlike many of its more vigorous, weedy relatives
  • Exceptionally cold hardy and low maintenance once established in well-drained soil

Cons

  • Needs sharp drainage and resents wet, heavy soil, especially over winter
  • Slow to mature, taking two to five years to reach flowering size
  • Like all alliums, potentially toxic to cats, dogs, and other pets if eaten
Why Like One of the few true-blue-flowered onions in cultivation, this Chinese Himalayan alpine brings an intense cobalt-blue color rarely seen in the genus to even a small trough or rock garden, and its Award of Garden Merit reflects a long track record of reliable, cold-hardy performance for rock gardeners.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 6 - 10 inches tall. 2 - 4 inches wide.
Growth Rate Slow
Sun Exposure Full Sun - Full Sun
Moisture Tolerance Medium : Drought tolerant once established; does not tolerate wet, poorly-drained soil, especially in winter.
Zones 4a - 8a (Usually hardy to -30° F)
Tags Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Pollinators, Bulbs for Fall Planting, Container, Deciduous, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Edging, Full Sun, Good for Cottage Garden, Good for Rock Garden, Good for Rocky Soil, Medium, Perennial, Potentially Toxic, Rabbit Resistant
Bloom Period July to September
Flower Color Blue
Foliage Color Green
 

In The News
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Pricing and Availability History

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Past Availability
2024 : 07/02 - 09/08
2023 : 06/21 - 09/10

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Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!